{"id":4809,"date":"2017-05-22T17:00:00","date_gmt":"2017-05-23T00:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.kibin.com\/blog\/?post_type=essay-writing-blog&p=4809"},"modified":"2022-12-15T08:59:43","modified_gmt":"2022-12-15T16:59:43","slug":"what-is-a-literature-review-and-how-do-you-write-one","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.kibin.com\/essay-writing-blog\/what-is-a-literature-review-and-how-do-you-write-one\/","title":{"rendered":"What Is a Literature Review and How Do You Write One?"},"content":{"rendered":"

If you\u2019re assigned to write a movie review, you need to watch a movie and then critically evaluate it.<\/p>\n

Logic dictates that, if you\u2019re assigned to write a literature <\/i>review, you\u2019d read some type of literature and then critically evaluate it<\/i>. But that\u2019s not the case.<\/p>\n

Sometimes logic can fail you.<\/p>\n

It\u2019s like if you see the word \u201cbother.\u201d You\u2019d think it would rhyme with \u201cmother.\u201d It doesn\u2019t.<\/p>\n

\"confused<\/p>\n

Regardless of whether the terminology makes sense, writing a literature review definitely does not mean<\/i><\/b> that you\u2019ll read a piece of literature and then write a review of it.<\/p>\n

So what is<\/i> a literature review, and how do you write one? Keep reading, and you\u2019ll be ready to write one in no time.<\/p>\n

What Is a Literature Review?<\/h2>\n

The \u201cliterature\u201d in a literature review is not the stuff of your literature <\/b>classes. That means no Moby Dick<\/i>, Romeo and Juliet<\/i><\/a>, or Handmaid\u2019s Tale<\/i><\/a>.<\/p>\n

The literature you\u2019ll use to write a literature review will consist of academic writings, such as journal articles<\/a> and books. (The same types of sources you\u2019d use to write a research paper<\/a>, in other words.)<\/p>\n

Even though you\u2019ll be using articles, books, and other scholarly sources to write a literature review, a literature review is not<\/i> merely a research paper.<\/p>\n

When you write a research paper, the general goal is to inform readers or to make an argument<\/a> (like whether 8:00 a.m. classes should be scheduled or whether plastic straws should be banned). You use research to support<\/a> your paper.<\/p>\n

When you write a literature review<\/i><\/b>, the goal is to discuss existing research about a specific topic. You\u2019ll summarize, and usually synthesize, the information to provide readers with an overview.<\/p>\n

Your goal isn\u2019t to argue for a specific position. Your goal is to inform the audience<\/a> and discuss the literature in a larger context.<\/p>\n

This means you\u2019ll review the literature to do the following:<\/b><\/p>\n